Topic: A New Addition To The Family

Merethyl Benoit

Date: 2017-11-06 06:42 EST
Eleven days after giving birth is not generally a time when a woman likes to be seen out and about. No one had told Merethyl that, however, and Christian didn't seem inclined to inform her that most of their colleagues - being human - wouldn't be expecting to see her up and about and looking so ....well, well. But she was a full-blooded elf, and some things were very different for her race than for humans. Nauseatingly so, in some cases. She paused in the road between the theater and the dance studio, glancing over to Christian curiously. "Which way, melamin?"

"The dance studio, I think," Christian replied. "I think Tony and Anya have classes today," he added, explaining his reasoning. They were eager to show off their little bundle of joy to all their friends and colleagues, but first and foremost were Tony and Anya.

Twisting to look across the street at the studio, the gathering of mums and dads inside suggested that Anya's under-fives Twinkle Toes class was soon to let out. Merry smiled, looking forward to seeing their friends' reactions to the newest member of Team Shanachie, as Mataya insisted on calling it. "How is he?" she asked, tilting her head to look at the baby boy hugged close in Christian's arms.

"Content, for now," Christian replied, as he glanced down at the baby boy nestled in his arms, all wrapped up in a pale blue blanket. Content for now, until he was hungry or cold needing changing, anyway. Without Merry's elven sight, he couldn't quite make out what class was going on in the studio from clear across the street, but he was aware enough of the schedule to make a good guess. "Shall we go introduce him to his Tante Anya?" he asked, smiling back at her.

"I believe that is the intention, yes." Her pale features warmed with a smile of her own as she tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, glancing both ways before stepping across the street to open the door of the studio. Various mums and dads glanced up as they entered, barely giving them a second glance.

The receptionist, however, lit up like a firework. "Oh! Monsieur Benoit! Welcome back!"

"Merci, merci!" Christian replied, his smile widening as he and Merry stepped into De Luca Dance Studio with that little blue bundle in his arms. "We are just visiting today. Can you tell me if Tony or Anya are here?" he asked, doing his best to step around the parents who were meandering around as they waited to pick up their children from class.

The cheerful receptionist grinned, her expression of excitement intensifying at the sight of the little bundle in Christian's arms. "Madame Anya is just finishing with the Twinkle-Toes, and I believe Monsieur Tony will be done with the young cavaliers just a few minutes after that," she told them. "Is that the baby?" She blinked then, and looked at Merry in shock. "I could have sworn you were pregnant a week ago."

"It is," Christian confirmed, chuckling a little at the woman's shocked expression when she looked at his wife. "She heals quickly," he explained, without really explaining. It was really no one else's business how Merry was looking so well so soon after birthing their son, but this was Rhy'Din, and far stranger things were known to have happened. "Is there somewhere quiet we can wait?" he asked further, with a pointed look at the small crowd of anxious parents.

"Oh! Oh, of course ....go through to the office, no one's in there right now." The receptionist smiled broadly at both of them, rising to lift the counter so they could pass through unmolested. A rising chatter from one of the larger studios suggested that the little ones who had been practicing their twinkle toes were about to be unleashed on their parents.

Merry laughed at the happy sound, ushering Christian ahead of her. "We do not want to get caught in that!"

"Definitely not!" Christian agreed, waiting for Merry to take the lead past the counter and into the office. "Will you please tell them we are here?" he asked the receptionist as he passed by. They didn't want to disrupt classes, which was why they had asked for a quiet, out of the way place where they could wait.

"Of course," she assured them, closing the counter down just as a click announced the door of Studio A being opened to unleash the tide of loud little people. A second click, however, shut the worst of the noise out before the baby could be disturbed by it.

Merry bit her lip, still smiling. "Perhaps one day soon I will be able to get back to dancing," she mused hopefully.

As much as dancing meant to him and as grateful as he was to Tony for giving him a place in the ballet here in Rhy'Din, Christian did not look quite so anxious to get back to work. "I am sure we will be dancing again soon enough," he said, looking to the small blue-wrapped bundle in his arms. He had taken some time off from the ballet, as well, but had found he wasn't missing quite as much as he'd thought he would. There was a ballet coming up in a few weeks, but Christian and Merry would not be dancing in it, with a newborn to care for.

Still sleeping soundly, his newborn son wriggled a little in his blankets, yawning before hugging his tiny hands together and settling down once again. Merry's smile softened at the sight, her cheek finding a place to rest against her husband's arm. "I am not so anxious to abandon you both simply for the pleasure of moving to music," she promised him softly.

"Nor am I," he admitted just as softly, smiling over at her a moment before returning his gaze to their son. Coming to Rhy'Din had not only resulted in a miraculous healing from a career-ending injury, but he had unexpectedly found love there, as well. Now, with a wife and son to care for, his career seemed less important somehow. His priorities in life had simply changed. "Perhaps we can wait until the new season," he suggested, though that seemed a given in that the next ballet was only a few weeks away, which was hardly enough time for them to get ready.

Indeed, they would already have had to have started rehearsing if they were going to be a part of the upcoming ballet. But it wasn't such a wrench not to be a part of it, not with their son slowly beginning to focus on their faces and recognize their voices in his first days of basic independence. The noise from outside seemed to be dying down, drawing Merry's gaze toward the door, where Anya was visible being hugged by several small ballerinas as she talked with their mothers. She chuckled softly. "Perhaps I should think about teaching."

"I was considering that, too," he echoed his wife's thoughts, as he followed her gaze to the view of Anya and her little ballerinas. They would have to consider retirement at some point, but Christian wasn't sure he was quite ready for that yet, and he knew Tony needed them. "I know Tony was hoping to build a company here," he said, though the troupe had thus far remained small.

"Perhaps it is time he considered putting together a touring company," Merry mused thoughtfully. "There are plenty of smaller cities, and city states, and a few small countries within traveling distance of Rhy'Din City that might welcome a fully professional company visiting every now and then."

"A touring company?" Christian echoed, arching a curious brow. "But that would take us away from home," he pointed out, unsure if she meant for this touring company to be made up of the ballet company or separate from it. Home was definitely Rhy'Din now. His wife and son and friends were here. There was nothing left for him on Earth anymore.

"I don't mean for us," she admitted with a smile. "But for the corps dancers, it would be an opportunity to be principals and hone those skills, while opening places for new corps dancers and spreading knowledge of the company itself. With a known company, there is an opportunity to open a ballet school here in Rhy'Din." She shook her head. "Ambitious thoughts."

"Oh, I see," he admitted, feeling a little foolish for not understanding what she'd meant right away. "That would mean further auditions," he pointed out, though not right away. It would take time to organize a traveling troupe. And even longer to organize put together a ballet school. They were interesting thoughts, if only he knew where she was thinking they belonged in those thoughts.

"True, it would," she nodded in agreement. "But these are not things that we would have to do. We could simply ....mention them." A tiny flicker of mischief crossed her face - Tony and Anya were like dogs with a bone when they were introduced to an idea they liked.

Merethyl Benoit

Date: 2017-11-06 06:43 EST
And speaking of the intrepid De Lucas, one of them opened the door to the office. Anya's expression brightened as she found herself looking at the Benoits, utterly ignoring the baby to pounce on Merry with a warm hug. "Look at you, sestrenka! Up and about and ....oh, you're so thin again already! I want to be an elf." She laughed, rising onto her toes to kiss Christian's cheek. "Welcome to the world of being parents."

Christian chuckled a little at Merry's remark, knowing how their friends would likely jump at the chance to try something new with regard to the ballet. The real trick was finding talented dancers in Rhy'Din to fill both troupes, but that was the whole purpose behind opening a ballet school - to train young dancers and move them up into the troupes when they were ready. But before he was able to remark on it further, they were interrupted by one of the people they had come here to see. "Merci, Anya," he told her as she kissed his cheek. "Would you like to take a peek?" he asked, offering a peek at their young son.

"You are perfect as a human," Merry added to their friend. "A little small, but perfect."

Anya stuck her tongue out at her elven friend, laughing as she turned immediately on the invitation to see the baby. "Oh ....isn't he handsome?" she praised the tiny baby, enchanted by the sight of him. "Is that ....does he have pointed ears?"

Christian chuckled again at Anya's observation. "He is half-elven, Anya," he reminded her, just as the door opened again and the tall, handsome, dark-haired man that was Tony De Luca stepped inside.

"Is that my godson?" Tony asked, though he had not yet been asked to be the newborn's godfather. "Hand him over."

"Wait your turn," Anya informed her husband without even glancing at him, looking up at Christian herself. "May I?"

Merry chuckled softly to herself, happy to slide into the background. She no longer felt quite so other as she had done even a year ago, but there was no mistaking that she was the newest part of this little collection of people.

"Sorry, mon ami. Ladies first, as they say," Christian told Tony as he carefully handed the small blue bundle to Anya. He was obviously proud of his young son, pointy ears and all. "Sofia is going to be jealous," Tony said, moving to look over Anya's shoulder.

"Or she will love him," Anya predicted, gathering the little bundle into her arms. "Hello, malyutka. Are you not going to wake up to be admired" You are a very handsome boy. What is his name?" She lifted her eyes curiously to the new parents. "You have given him a name, da?"

Christian couldn't help but beam with pride at Anya's praise of his son. Of course he was handsome. In Christian and Merry's eyes, the newborn was beautiful, but then they were biased, so it was nice to hear it from someone else. He laughed again as Anya looked to them for a name, as if they had not given him one yet. "His name is Gabriel Christian," he told them.

"Ah, like the little angel he is." Anya beamed, ducking her head to look down at the tiny boy once again, one fingers wriggling into his sleepy grip. "We should have a boy next," she informed Tony. "Tell your sperm to make it happen."

Tony laughed. "I didn't know we were trying. I'll call a meeting with them later and tell them to get right on it," he teased, obviously not opposed to the idea of having another child, so long as Anya wasn't.

"This is Rhy'Din," Christian interjected. "Isn't there some way to make sure?"

"I do not think humans work that way, melamin," Merry murmured, never sure quite how to take Anya's silliness when Tony joined in with it.

"It is part of the fun, too," Anya pointed out impishly. "We'll just keep having babies until we have a boy. Rosita will be so pleased."

Tony rolled his eyes at his wife's impishness. "You forget, mia cara, that I have three sisters. The odds are not good," he teased. The eldest of four, his parents were never able to repeat the birth of a son after he was born.

"One of each would be nice," Christian remarked, surprising even himself by saying it. He'd never expected to have a family of his own.

"It would," Merry agreed softly, leaning against his arm as she watched the other couple admiring her son.

Anya grinned up at Tony, reluctantly offering him the chance to cuddle with the baby. "You do not like the idea of being surrounded by little girls?"

"What makes you think that?" Tony countered, brows arching upwards. He had only been teasing her, after all, and would have been just as happy with one child as with ten, no matter the gender, so long as they were healthy and happy. "You are the one who asked for a boy," he reminded her, leaning close to touch a kiss to her cheek before looking to the small bundle in her arms. "He is a handsome boy. How long before he'll be dancing, I wonder."

"Two years," Merry said with a completely straight face. Only Christian knew her well enough to know she didn't mean it; that she would never insist on their child doing anything but what he wanted to do with his time. She could be absolutely inscrutable when she chose to be, and it was fun to make humans goggle at her.

Tony actually gawked at her a moment, unsure whether or not to believe her, when Christian's chuckle made it clear she was teasing them. "Sofia only mastered walking at a little over one," he pointed out.

"I think it will be more than two years before either of them can decide," Christian admitted with a wink at his wife.

Letting herself smile, Merry leaned over to where Tony was holding her son. "Look at this," she said, gesturing for Anya to watch as well.

She'd worked this one out surprisingly quickly, if you didn't know about elven sensitivity. With a flash of a grin to Christian, she stroked her fingertips very delicately along the line of the baby's pointed ear. He stretched, yawned, and opened a pair of brilliant blue eyes to coo up at the faces bent over him curiously.

Tony chuckled at the little boy's reaction to his mother's caress. He'd heard something about elven ears being sensitive, but he'd never seen proof of it until now. "Like magic," he remarked with a grin. "He's a fine-looking boy. I'm sure you're both very proud," he said, that grin softening into a warm smile for both his friends.

"Oh, aren't those eyes a work of art?" Anya breathed, utterly enchanted by the newborn's unfocused blinking up at them. "Hello, little one." She gently booped the little nose, just to see what would happen.

Merry laughed softly, drawing back to let their friends admire the baby boy. "He's a promise that was kept," she said softly, leaning against Christian's side. "I could not be prouder of him."

"A promise?" Tony asked, looking from one to the other, as he leaned closer to Anya to let her have a good look at the newest future member of the Shanachie.

Merry tilted her head to look up at Christian, her smile softening at the memory of the dance they had shared that had brought them to this moment in time and beyond in less than a heartbeat, shown them everything they could have, if they would only be brave enough to love each other openly. "You recall, when we told you we were to be married, that some force had brought us together?" she asked softly. "We both saw him, at birth and as a man, with children of his own."

"As a man?" Tony echoed, with a puzzled expression on his face. He understood the jist of what she was telling him, but not quite how exactly it had happened.

"It is difficult to explain," Christian said, not daring to try putting that experience into words. He glanced to Merry with a shrug, in case she wanted to give it a try.

Anya had raised a brow, curiosity painted over her face even as Gabe grabbed for her finger to insert it into his mouth.

Merry's smile deepened at their confusion. "We saw ....times in our lives together that were yet to come," she tried to explain. "Every beginning that could happen because we love one another. I do not know how else to explain it." They had seen the endings, too; his and hers, at separate times, in separate ways, but both were hopeful of being reunited in the end.

Merethyl Benoit

Date: 2017-11-06 06:52 EST
"But ....how?" Tony couldn't help but ask. Was it an elven thing or a Rhy'Din thing or something entirely different' And why them' If it was something that sometimes happened on Rhy'Din, then why not Tony and Anya" As much as he'd learned about Rhy'Din since he'd transplanted himself here a few years ago, it seemed there was still a lot he didn't understand.

Merry shook her head. "Why should we question something that brought us together?" she countered quietly. "We might never have admitted how we were feeling without that small nudge. The future is not always a gift, Tony. We saw the joys, but we saw the pain too. It is not something to dwell upon - life is for living."

"But is it a definite future or can things be changed?" Tony asked further. He didn't really think the future was set in stone, though he wasn't opposed to the idea that predictions could be made about a possible future. "We saw a long happy life together, Anton, but how does the saying go' In every life a little rain must fall?"

"Nothing is set in stone, Tony," Merry agreed with her husband. "We were shown a lifetime of possibilities that were only open to us if we chose one another. Without that moment, you would not now be holding your godson."

Anya squeaked suddenly, her eyes darting to Tony's face. This was the first they'd heard of godparents.

Tony chuckled again as Anya squeaked. He'd assumed and said as much just a few moments earlier, but she must have missed it. "Would you like to hold your new godson, mia cara?" he asked, not wanting to hog the little boy all for himself, though he seemed in no hurry to give him up.

"We would be honored," Christian added, looking between their friends. Though Merry was an elf, Christian had been raised with a religious background and was hoping to have their son baptized, if only for his own peace of mind.

"Now he is awake, da!" Anya nodded happily, holding out her hands to take the baby boy back from Tony and rest him against her shoulder. "You want us both as godparents?" she asked Christian curiously, trying not to look too hopeful.

"I believe we do," Christian replied, looking to Merry for confirmation. They'd discussed this already, but he wanted to be sure she hadn't changed her mind. They were both making compromises where their son's upbringing was concerned. He would be a child of both worlds, human and elven alike.

Merry's smile deepened as Christian looked to her, nodding to assure him that he was absolutely right in saying that aloud. It was rare, in her world, for a half-elf to fully experience both sides of their heritage; she was looking forward to teaching Gabriel how to be both elf and human.

"Oh, that is ....da, yes, very honored we are," Anya nodded enthusiastically, automatically swaying as the baby sighed against her neck.

While Tony had family in Rhy'Din, Anya, Merry, and Christian did not, but the foursome had quickly become fast friends, their bond only made closer by the fact that both couples had now become parents. "Are you planning on showing him around" Irina will be not be happy if you don't bring him by to meet her," Tony pointed out.

"We did not want to interrupt the rehearsals," Merry admitted a little shyly. "But you are right. Irina will never forgive me if she does not get to meet him first of all the ladies."

Anya snorted with laughter. "I see. I am not a lady."

"No, you are a friend," Christian pointed out, but that wasn't quite right either, as Irina was a friend, too. Some might even argue it was in good part Irina who was to credit with Christian and Merry falling in love in the first place. It was Irina, after all, who had worked with the couple to help them find their utmost potential.

"You are family," Merry offered in a small voice. She'd never said it aloud before. It wasn't something that was spoken of much, but she did miss having her blood kin nearby. She knew she would return some day, for that last goodbye, but until then, she had to make do with the bonds of friendship and love she made with the people around her.

Christian smiled in agreement, tightening the hold he had on his wife's waist. What she'd said was true - Tony and Anya were not only their closest friends, but they were like family. He had an inkling of Merry's loneliness without her own family near, but he hoped that between himself and their son and their friends, she would not feel so lonely.

But it was Tony who spoke next. "And so are you," he said, in return. How did that saying go about friends being the family of the heart'

Nestled close into Christian's side, Merry's smile regained its strength at Tony's words. "I will forever be honored to be a part of your family," she said, almost formally, ill at ease with open declarations of affection the way humans seemed to be. It was one thing to be open with your husband, your bond-mate; quite another to be so affectionate with the family you had chosen for your own.

Christian smiled at his wife, knowing how hard it was for her to be away from her family and yet, glad she was making friends of her own who thought of her like family.

Tony, though, could tell she seemed to be feeling a little awkward and tried his best to put her at ease with a little humor. "Just don't let Rosita get her hands on Gabriel or you might not get him back!"

Anya giggled at that, knowing exactly how hard it was to get her own daughter back from Tony's mother when she was in a cuddly mood.

Merry's smile relaxed once more at the gentle tease. "There may be days when we wish for that," she pointed out softly.

"I'm sure if you asked, my mother would be more than happy to babysit," Tony assured her. And without families of their own to help, they might need that extra support system more than they cared to admit. In fact, there was likely to be no shortage of available babysitters, where the theater was concerned.

"She would be delighted to babysit," Anya translated. "Rosita cannot get enough of babies. She will be totally enchanted with you, malyutka." This was directed to the baby boy resting against her shoulder as she swayed absently, tilting her cheek against the soft warmth of his head as she smiled at the others.

Christian was looking suddenly just a little wistful, wishing his parents - his mother, in particular - was still alive to meet their young son. He rarely, if ever, talked about his parents, though Tony knew him well enough to know the story already.

"And you will spend the holidays with us," Tony added, as if reading Christian's mind or maybe noticing the wistful look on his face.

"Which holidays?" Merry asked in surprise. "I believe there are ....two ....human holidays in the next two months, yes?"

Anya chuckled, leaving that one to Tony. He'd issued the invitation, he could arrange everything for it.

"Uh, that depends on if we're celebrating Earth holidays or Rhy'Din holidays or both," Tony replied, a little uncertainly. Back home in New York, the next holiday would be Thanksgiving Day, but that wasn't a holiday that was widely celebrated everywhere.

Anya couldn't help him there. Her traditions around Christmas were very different to his, after all. "I think, perhaps, we should hold off on making certain decisions until closer to the time?" the Russian ballerina suggested, not even grimacing when Gabriel's head lurched on her shoulder to latch his toothless mouth on her neck. "I think your son might be getting hungry."

Christian chuckled at his son's enthusiasm where gumming anything within reach was concerned. "At least he likes you, Anya," he pointed out with a grin. "As for the holidays, we'll talk about it and let you know," he added, needing to discuss it with Merry before they made a commitment, no matter how well intended the invitation.

"Fair enough," Tony replied. "We should probably let you take care of Junior."

Anya scoffed laughingly, moving to hand the baby back to Merry.

The elven woman sat down in the nearest chair, and without any aplomb, opened her shirt to nurse her son. It seemed that elves - at least, her sort of elves - didn't find anything strange in that at all. "There is no need to leave," she pointed out absently. "Unless you would rather do so."

Merethyl Benoit

Date: 2017-11-06 06:53 EST
Tony arched a brow at the elf's lack of shyness and quickly averted his gaze so as not to embarrass her. It wasn't like he'd never seen a woman breast-feed a baby before, but he didn't want to appear to be gawking at another woman's breast. "I, um, have a few things that need taking care of. Perhaps we could join you later?" What the man didn't seem to realize was that he was the one who was embarrassed and awkward, not her.

"Of course," Merry assured him, perfectly calm, as though she didn't have one of her tits out and attached to the baby in her arms. "We were going to ask if you would like to come to dinner."

Anya shook her head. "You have enough to worry about without playing host to us," she said firmly. "You will come to dinner with us."

Tony chuckled, feeling a little more at ease, now that the women were bantering back and forth. "I guess that decides things! Make sure you stop in and see Irina. I'll be in my office doing officey things," he said vaguely.

"He is embarrassed to admit that he likes your breast, Merethyl," Anya informed her friend with a wicked giggle. She patted her husband's backside. "Off to the theater, milaya. There is still a lock on your door, da?"

"I am trying very hard not to notice her breast, Anya!" Tony pointed out, trying and failing not to blush, which was a rarity. "Why do you want to know if there's a lock on my door?" he asked, with a puzzled look at his wife, even as she patted his rear.

"Perhaps she is hoping to remind you what her breast looks like," Christian pointed out with a grin.

To this, Anya offered up a less-than-innocent smile to Tony, patting his rear end once again. "It is a thought, da?"

Merry chuckled from where she was sat, shaking her head at this strange embarrassment the sight of a mother nursing her child had managed to provoke in a man whose career had been spent virtually naked backstage during quick changes.

But that career had not been spent seeing his best friend's wife even partially naked, ballerina or not, and he was only trying to be polite, albeit awkwardly. "Come find us when you are done showing him around and we'll talk about dinner," Tony said. He might have kissed Merry's cheek and congratulated her, but he didn't want to disturb mother and son.

"We will!" Christian promised, as Tony reached for Anya's hand before she patted his rear again to lead her away.

Laughing, Anya offered them a wave before she was whisked out of sight, the office door falling closed in their wake.

Merry turned amused eyes onto Christian. "What was that all about?"

"That is about a man who is uncomfortable around the sight of any woman's breast but that of his wife," Christian explained. Never mind the fact that Tony had had countless dance partners over the years and had probably seen his fare share of women's breasts, naked and otherwise.

"Oh." Her pale brows rose in surprise. "Should I not have fed him, then?" she asked curiously. For all that Rhy'Din was human-dominated, Merry was still learning about the nuances of human society. This was new ground for her.

"No, ma cherie. It is all right. Anya will handle it," he assured her. If anything, he found Tony's embarrassment amusing. "Besides, it is not everyday you see Tony blush," he added with an obviously amused chuckle.

Still a little confused, but reassured that she had not done anything so terribly wrong, Merry smiled as she glanced down at Gabriel. "Why should my breast make him blush?" she asked curiously. "It is not as though I simply showed it to him. Or that I would ever do such a thing. You are the only man I shall ever show my breasts to."

"Don't worry so much, Merry. He will be fine," Christian assured her further, as he claimed a chair and pulled it close. "It is only that women do not openly breast feed back home very much, and Tony was probably not expecting it."

Curiosity took the place of her confusion as she twisted her own chair to look on him more easily. "Do human women not produce milk for their children, as elves do?" she asked. "I was sure Anya did, but perhaps I was mistaken."

"Oui, they do, but ..." Christian frowned thoughtfully. This was harder to explain than he'd thought. "Some people ....they think it is rude to breastfeed in public. I am not saying Tony or Anya think that, but some people do. I think Tony was just not expecting it."

"Oh, I should ....say I am going to do it before I do it?" That made sense to her. In an elven community, it was likely no one would think twice about a woman feeding her child at the breast in the middle of a busy street, but she had to remember that humans, as a race, were more conservative. "I will try not to surprise people with my bosoms."

"It is silly, I suppose, but that is how some humans are," Christian said with an almost apologetic shrug. He wasn't sure how he'd react if the shoe were on the other foot and he was there when Anya was breastfeeding her child.

"Perhaps it is an attitude that will change," she shrugged, glancing down at the baby. A fond smile warmed her pale face. "I think he is finished. Do you want to burp him?"

"Perhaps. I do not think we have to worry so much in Rhy'Din," he said, thinking they were unlikely to run into any problems here so long as they were careful. "Some women choose to use bottles," he explained further, as he reached for the newborn. "Come to Papa, mon petit homme."

"They milk themselves?" Merry looked aghast at the thought of that, though that was purely cultural. If Christian asked her to, she would certainly look into it. She handed Gabriel over to his father, pausing to cover herself before tucking the cloth under the wobbly head to protect Christian's shirt. "Like cattle on a farm?"

"I am not sure I would compare it that way," he said, though he could understand the comparison. "It is simply a matter of personal choice," he explained, carefully settled the little man over his shoulder and gently rubbing his back. He couldn't help but smile as he looked on the small, young life they had created. "He is beautiful, isn't he" Is it wrong to say so?"

"He is beautiful, just like his papa," she smiled, reaching over to trace her fingertips along Christian's jaw tenderly. She could never have imagined such a scene just a few years before, yet here they were. "Would you ....would you like it if I ....milked my breasts?"

Christian smiled at his wife's compliment, but it was quickly followed by a frown. "Non, Merry. I would like it if you do as you please, no matter what anyone else thinks or wants. Our son seems happy and healthy and content. Why should we change things?"

"Then ....you do not mind that you do not have the means to feed him yet?" she asked, needing to be sure. She had heard women talking during her pregnancy, about making their partners do half the work, and the fathers sometimes expressing a desire to be able to bond with their children the same way their women did.

There was that thoughtful look on his face again. "I want to help," he said, unsure if she wanted him to help with feedings or not. He was willing to help in whatever way she wanted, but there were plenty of things to help with that didn't involve feedings.

Merry's expression softened, her hand resting on his knee. "Christian, melamin, we are parents, together," she reminded him gently. "If you wish that experience, tell me so. I would gladly share it, if there is a way."

"I do not wish to ....to interfere," he told her. He hadn't really had much time to think about it before now, but there was a special closeness between mother and child that he envied.

Her brows knitted as he failed to express an opinion either way. "Christian ....do you want to be able to feed our son?" she asked him bluntly. "An answer, if you please. Do not think to spare my feelings - we are a family."

"I-I think I would like to try, perhaps," he admitted, somewhat reluctantly. He didn't want to do anything that would upset her, and he was a little nervous about the prospect of feeding their son, but he did want to try.

Satisfied with this answer, Merry smiled, glad he had finally admitted it. "Then I will ask Anya how it is done tonight," she said, everything settled. "I do not think it is done by means of my sitting on your lap while you milk me into his mouth, but if it is, then I will try it with you."

Merethyl Benoit

Date: 2017-11-06 06:54 EST
Christian already knew how it was done and chuckled at the image Merry's remark generated in his head. "It is done with a bottle, cherie," he attempted to explain, not bothering to go into details about where the milk came from or how it got into the bottle. He'd leave that for Anya, if he was able.

She laughed with him, the tune of their merriment underscored by a rumbling burp from Gabriel against his father's shoulder. "It will be a privilege to watch you learn."

"Does this mean I won't have to do as many changings?" he teased, turning his head a moment to smile at their son as he offered up a healthy-sounding burp.

"No, you will still be doing changes," she insisted with another low laugh. "We share that burden equally already." Gabriel's wobbly head turned toward Christian's neck, soft forehead bouncing off his father's chin.

"He is a good baby, isn't he, Merry?" Christian said, tilting his head to touch a kiss to their son's head. Beautiful, healthy, happy, content. What more could two people ask for"

"He is our son, our firstborn," she said quietly, laying her hand over his on the baby's back. "Our blessing. And if there is another to come, they will be as beautiful as their brother, as their father."

"Do you really think we might have another?" he asked. They had only seen one child in their vision of the future, but perhaps that future wasn't set in stone.

"Perhaps we are permitted to hope," she suggested through a soft smile. There had been more people around his deathbed than was suggested by a single son, after all. "Elves do not have more than one or two children, but it may be different between elves and humans."

"I do not think I could be happier, even if we only ever have one son," he assured her, smiling softly as he leaned close to touch a kiss to her lips. It was foolish to waste precious time worrying about the future, when the future was right in front of him.

She smiled against his lips, soft and loving, deeply content in this new era of her life. She had spent so long pursuing perfection in dance, only to discover that perfection was not what made dance moving for those who watched, and now her life was far messier - and far happier - than it had ever been before. It was charming. "Should we go and find Irina, before our son needs to be changed again?"

"We could make her change him," Christian teased, though he wasn't sure how Irina felt about diapers. The woman had never married or raised any children of her own. She had been married to the ballet for too long. It was a little known fact that she'd been seeing Humphrey Granger on and off for a few years now, and between the Granger family and her family at the ballet, that produced plenty of pseudo-grandchildren.

"Perhaps that should be the fee for holding him," Merry answered just as teasingly. "If you want to cuddle, you have to be prepared for his terrible emissions."

Christian chuckled. "They are pretty terrible," he agreed, though it was a small price to pay for having a tiny human about.

Giggling, Merry bent to tuck the cloth back into the bag, happy to let Christian carry their son as she rose to hang it on her shoulder. "I am told they will improve," she assured him. "Come - we can catch her as they break for the afternoon rest."

"Well, I don't know many adults who are still wearing diapers," he pointed out, though he wasn't counting elderly people who were forced to wear Depends. Little Gabriel seemed perfectly content to rest against his father's shoulder while they went in search of the ballet mistress.

Irina was easy to find, as it turned out. She was waiting for them in the foyer - Tony and Anya had apparently told her there was a baby on the way to be introduced. Merry and Christian had half an hour to lose when the ballet mistress absconded with their son to show him off to everyone she could find. Even when she returned - with a clean, changed Gabriel - they were kept there while Anya came hurrying down to tell them when to come to the De Luca house for dinner. When, finally, they were able to escape, the afternoon was closing, but it felt good to have spent a little time at the theater. They might only be dancers in a company, but they had come together at the Shanachie. It was as much a part of their relationship as anything.

Even after visiting Irina and letting her show their son off to most of the cast and crew in attendance at the Shanachie, Merry and Christian had a little time to kill before they were expected at the De Luca's for dinner. Tony and Anya's house wasn't too far from the theater, and it had proved a nice day for a walk, and so, they'd declined the offer of a ride so that they could enjoy a stroll in the fresh autumn air before winter forced them indoors. Gabriel was small and light enough that they didn't need a carriage, wrapped up in a blanket and nestled cozily against his father's shoulder.

"Why do I feel certain that Tony's mother will descend upon us in short order once he tells her we were seen out and about?" Merry mused with a low chuckle as they walked along together, enjoying the gentle chill of the air against her face.

"You're probably right. She seems to have unofficially adopted us, hasn't she?" Christian countered, with a small smile that showed he had mixed emotions about that. While it was nice to have friends and family here in Rhy'Din, they were virtual orphans here, with no blood relatives of their own.

"It is ....strange, to be mothered by a woman young enough to be my daughter," Merry agreed, laughing her merry, low laugh as she tucked her hand into his pocket, as was her habit. Rosita refused to admit that Merry was over a hundred years old, and had fallen back on treating her like a teenager instead.

"Is it strange to be married to a man even younger than that?" he couldn't help but ask, a slight smirk on his face at the irony of her statement. "Do you ever miss it?" he asked, out of the blue, in reference to her home. Their pasts were subjects they rarely if ever discussed, but it was something that had been preying on his mind lately.

"Your soul is my match," was all she had to say on the subject of the age difference, a faint smirk playing about her lips that faded at his change of subject. Faerun ....her childhood home, a place so very different to this bustle of many races, of tolerant intolerance and factions and hidden wars. "I would be a liar if I said I did not," she admitted quietly. "Faerun, the forests of Suldanessellar ....they are my home, the place where I was formed. The place my parents cleave to and will not leave. But my heart is here, melamin, and always will be."

"Because I am here," he said, assuming that much was true, but that hardly explained why she had rarely spoken of her homeland or home world, whichever the case. Still, if she had family there, wouldn't she want to return someday, so they could meet their grandchild"

"Yes," she answered simply. Things were a little more complex than they seemed, and she wasn't sure how he would take having them explained to him. He was already antsy enough about the ultimate end of their bond and what it would mean for her.

"You never talk about them," he pointed out further, frowning a little, not so much in confusion as in concern. "I would not wish to keep you from them, aim"," he told her gently.

"I would not know where to begin," she admitted in a soft tone. "Melamin ....it is no reflection on you that I do not speak of my parents, nor does it mean that I do not think of them. Faerun is very different to Rhy'Din, yet it would be possible for us to visit there." She hesitated, seeming almost guilty for a long moment. "Such a visit would be ....a sad occasion filled with joy. I do not know how to explain it."

He came to a halt, right there on the street, stepping aside so as not to get in the way of other passersby. "But ....why?" he asked, clearly confused. He could not understand why a visit to see her home and her family - those she clearly loved - would be sad, especially given the fact that they had a very happy reason for doing so in the way of their young son.

She reached up to touch his cheek. "Because I have bound my life to yours in loving you," she told him gently. "My life will end not long after you leave me. For my people, I will die barely more than a child, yet it is my own choice. They will grieve that I am to leave them so soon, for all that they will be happy to know that I love you, and you love me, and that our love has given us a child."

"But there's happiness mixed in with all that sadness, Merry," he told her, searching her eyes as he tried to both understand and explain. "I don't want you to die because of me," he said further, though they'd been over all that already. It was a choice she had made and one he would not take from her. "Don't you think your parents would like to know their grandson?" Wouldn't that be better than to never know them at all, he wondered.

Merethyl Benoit

Date: 2017-11-06 06:54 EST
"I don't want to live without you," she countered softly, sliding an arm about his waist as she leaned into him, Gabriel cuddled close between them as she raised her brow to Christian's. "They would be delighted to meet you, to meet him," she assured him tenderly. "And on Faerun, no one would think twice of an elf and a human together. But it does not feel right, to visit my home and be unable to visit yours since you do not want me to glamor myself even there."

If all that was keeping her from visiting home was the fact that he couldn't or wouldn't reciprocate, he could at least give her some reassurance and understanding there. "Merry, aim", it is not the same for me. There is nothing left for me back home. Everyone I care about is here," he said, hoping she would understand. Tony, Anya, Irina, Mataya, not to mention Merry and Gabriel - these were his family now. There was no one else.

Her smile softened once again. "Would you like to visit Faerun?" she asked him gently. "To meet my parents, and see the world I came from?"

"I would, oui," Christian replied, though there was something about that prospect that made him a little nervous and hesitant. Though he'd love to see her world and meet her parents, he wasn't too sure what they'd think of him. Would they blame him for the choice their daughter had made"

"Then we will visit, and I will show you Suldanessellar," she promised him fondly, rising onto her toes to kiss his lips. Gabriel protested in his quiet way at the unexpectedly close hug, making her laugh as she dipped her head to kiss their son's brow affectionately.

"I'm not sure I can say that," Christian teased, as they seemed to reach a decision. He laughed at Gabriel's protest, as mild as it was. The only time the little one ever really protested loudly was when he was hungry or wanted his diaper changed. He touched another kiss to Merry's lips, just because. "Love you, aim"," he told her quietly, a soft smile on his face.

"Forever, melamin," she promised in answer, stroking her fingertip down the line of his nose with a tender smile. Then she stepped to his side once again, tucking her hand into his pocket. "Shall we be on our way again?"

"I suppose we should, if we want to get there before they eat without us," he replied with a smirk. "You don't think they'll hate me, do you?" he asked after a moment, not really wanting to ask her that, but needing to know.

"Christian ....they could never hate you," she promised him fervently. "You love me. You have taught me how to love. They will be sad, but only because I will go before they do. They will not be sad because I have love and life and a child with a man I adore. I swear to you."

He nodded his head. It was about all he could do really. He didn't have many regrets and Merry certainly wasn't one of them. While it saddened him that her life would be ended prematurely because of him, she had assured him they would be together in whatever afterlife awaited them, and he took comfort in that. "I wish you could have met my M"m're," he admitted quietly.

"Would she have liked me?" she asked, almost timid in her curiosity. While she did not speak often of her family, Christian barely mentioned his lost family at all. She was loath to prod where her curiosity was not welcomed.

He actually chuckled a little at the thought of what his grandmother might have thought of Merry. "She would have adored you, once she got over her amazement." That was, of course, assuming Merry did not use her glamor to pretend she was something she wasn't.

"Ah, your Earth does not have anything but humans," she remembered, laughing at the thought of shocking his grandmother like that. "I would not startle her intentionally."

"Oh, no! She would have loved it! She always loved reading me fairy tales and such. I always thought she was a little sad they weren't real. And so many ballets are based on fairy tales. My first memory of the ballet was going to see The Nutcracker at Christmastime with my M"m're," he told her, a soft, wistful smile on his face.

"Do you know, I have never actually attended a ballet as a member of the audience?" Merry mused curiously as they walked along. "I never had anyone to go with, and when I was studying, I had no time. And now, of course, I am usually a part of it." She laughed, shaking her head. "I envy you those outings with your M"m're."

"She raised me after my parents died," he explained further, filling in a few more blanks to the past he never spoke of. It had never seemed necessary before, but for some reason, having a child had brought up memories of his own childhood.

"I did not know you lost them so young," she murmured softly, linking her fingers with his inside his pocket as they walked. "She must have been a very special woman."

"She was," he confirmed, though that was no surprise. "You would have liked her," he said, without any doubt in his voice. All of this was said in the past tense, leading her to believe his grandmother was no longer alive.

"She is in you," was her quiet response. "I have no doubt I would have liked her very much indeed." She tilted her warm smile toward him, brushing her cheek to his shoulder. "We are the people we have loved, melamin. She is always with you."

"I hope that is true," Christian replied quietly. Her memory certainly lived on in his heart, but that wasn't quite the same thing as her being there with them. "I hope she is proud of me."

"Are you happy, melamin?" Merry asked him softly. "That is all she would truly want. It does not take much to earn the pride of those we love - if they truly love us, they will be proud of everything we do, if we are truly happy in our lives."

"Oui, I am very happy, aim"," he assured her with a soft smile. How could he not be happy' Before he'd come to Rhy'Din, he'd been completely alone with a career-ending injury and with no hope for the future. "I suppose I should thank Anton for inviting me to Rhy'Din," he said, though he'd already thanked his friend more than once. Without that invitation, who knows where he might be now"

"Is it not the human custom to buy a basket made of fruit on such occasions?" she asked with a flicker of a grin, gently steering him down the next street toward Tony and Anya's pretty little house.

"A basket of fruit?" he echoed, chuckling lightly. "I thought it was a bottle of wine." But then, it might be a cultural thing, depending on where one lived.

"I-I do not know," Merry laughed, shaking her head. "I know only the tradition of accepting with grace. Thanks are not something it is necessary to give in the communities of my youth."

"We'll return the favor sometime," Christian said. Maybe the next time Tony and Anya had a child, as he was pretty confident they would not stop at one. He was not quite as sure about their own future, but it hardly mattered right now. If they only ever had one child, he couldn't imagine his life any happier than it was right now.

"We will," she agreed easily. "It will be very funny to discover if we can handle both Sofia and Gabriel without needing to ask for help from someone else." She was enchanted by Tony and Anya's little girl, who had begun to call them auntie and uncle as she developed language of her own. There was no more tangible evidence of the familial bond between the two couples than the habits of the toddler in their midst.

"With both of them still in diapers?" he asked, with another chuckle as they neared Casa De Luca. "Perhaps we should tease Anya about having another," he said, with a rare gleam of mischief in his eyes.

"You tease her," she suggested with a grin. "I will be cuddling Sofia." She adored that little girl, reveling in the special position of being the only elf Sofia knew right now and therefore extra special in the toddler's life. "Make sure she is holding Gabriel, so she feels extra broody."

Merethyl Benoit

Date: 2017-11-06 06:55 EST
"That is cheating!" he said, laughing again. "But I like it! Do you think Irina would be happy for another child or annoyed that she has one less ballerina?" Between Merry and Anya's pregnancies, the ballet troupe seemed forever short on ballerinas.

"I think she would be torn," Merry predicted in amusement. "Happy for the children, sad for the ballet. What we need is a young ballerina or two, newly trained and needing experience, for her to mentor properly."

"Perhaps there are one or two at the studio?" he asked, though he wasn't too sure, as he wasn't as involved there as Tony and Anya. They had two new ballerinas this year anyway. It always seemed a challenge hanging onto ballerinas, and male dancers were even harder for the company to retain.

"Young Zahan shows the most promise, but she is not yet even thirteen years old," Merry pointed out. She had been mentoring Zahan Granger for a year now; she had great hopes of the young dancer, but the girl was too young to be asked to take on such a role at a ballet company.

"Perhaps she could dance a supporting role?" he suggested, as they reached the house, pausing outside for a moment as they continued to talk.

"She needs more time for her feet to strengthen," Merry mused, leaning against the doorframe with a faint frown. "En pointe is a challenge for the young, and though she performs well, she does complain of pain where there should not be any. She is not happy that I have told her tutors not to let her push herself onto pointe."

Christian wasn't too unhappy that he didn't have to wear toe shoes. He knew very well what kind of pain dancers had to endure, both from personal experience and from observing others, but he had never had to worry about the pain of dancing en pointe. "It will be better for her in the long run," he agreed. "Shall we?" he asked, one hand poised to ring the doorbell.

She nodded with a smile, still leaning comfortably on the doorframe. The De Lucas were used to them all but lounging on the doorstep when they opened the front door, after all. "Perhaps we could investigate a little," she suggested thoughtfully. "One of us might be able to produce a ballerina through our contacts who might otherwise have been overlooked."

"Perhaps," he agreed, though no one came to mind immediately. There were the corps dancers, but none of them were so young and untrained that they needed Irina's expertise to find their true potential. Whatever he might have said next was interrupted by the opening of the door, before Christian could even ring the doorbell.

"Benvenuti, amici miei!" Tony declared, smiling broadly as he greeted them. "Come in, come in!"

Merry tilted her face toward their friend as he opened the door, laughing at the bright welcome. Knowing Christian perhaps better than he might think, she stumped inside ahead of him, shedding her coat and boots into the closet by the door before taking Gabriel from him so he could do the same. "And what have you done with your wife and daughter?"

"I've given them both away to the gypsies so that we can be alone," Tony teased in return, dark eyes dancing with mischief, though that was obviously not true.

"And what do you plan on doing with me?" Christian interrupted, nudging his friend as if to remind him of his presence.

"Oh, I thought he was talking to you, melamin," Merry teased impishly, gently untangling the blanket from Gabriel's head and shoulders. From further inside the house came the unmistakable sound of Sofia and Anya.

"Baby, Mama!"

"Da, the baby, but you must be quiet, malyutka!"

"So much for your plan, mon ami," Christian said, giving Tony's shoulder a consoling pat before shedding his coat and shoes and turning to hang them beside Merry's in the closet.

Sofia came toddling out of the main room, little fists waving excitedly as she ran straight into Tony's leg. She was the spitting image of her father these days - blue eyes, dark hair - but the smile definitely came from Anya. "Baby, Papa, baby!"

"I thought the gypsies had you!" Tony teased, with a wink at Merry, before ducking to scoop the little girl up into his arms. "She's been talking about nothing but the baby since we got home," he explained. "See, Sofia" This is baby Gabriel," he told her, leaning closer so she could get a good look at the newborn.

As Sofia leaned from Tony's grasp to get a good look at the baby in Merry's arms, Anya came into view, still holding the pajamas the toddler was supposed to be getting changed into. She offered Christian a grin. "You have been abandoned too, I see."

"So it seems. I am just not interesting enough," Christain replied, commiserating with Anya, though he was smirking in amusement.

Tony chuckled at their bantering. "Don't blame me! Sofia wanted a look at the baby!"

"Well, you do not have pointy ears and a baby," Anya grinned at Christian. "But you will have wine before they do! Come, come." She gestured for him to come into the kitchen as Sofia cooed over the baby, rubbing her own rounded ears curiously.

"That is true," Christian said, happy to join Anya in the kitchen and even help with dinner if she needed it, leaving Tony and Sofia with Merry and Gabriel.

"What do you think, dolcezza"" he asked the little girl of the newborn. "Is he acceptable?"

The toddler frowned thoughtfully at her finger caught in Gabriel's tiny grip, looking between him, Merry, and Tony as she considered her reply. "Pretty baby," she said eventually, offering up her gappy smile as Merry chuckled.

"I am very pleased you think so, little one."

Tony wasn't sure boys wanted to be called pretty, but Gabriel was hardly old enough to care. "Just as pretty as you, my angel," he said, touching a kiss to her forehead. "Shall we go say hello to your Uncle Christian?"

Sofia lit up happily, nodding as she pulled her finger out of the baby's grasp to wrap her pudgy arms around Tony's neck. "Uncle C'wispinan!" she repeated happily. "Cos I seed Artnee Merry!"

Even shortening Christian's name to Tian wouldn't help much, as it was almost as hard for the little girl to say as the full version of his name. Besides, he found Sofia's pronunciation of his name adorable. "Chris-chen," Tony enunciated slowly, though he hardly expected her to pronounce it properly for a few years yet.

"C'wistan," Sofia repeated, concentrating hard as she watched Tony's lips form the word. "Unca C'wispchin."

Behind them, Merry snorted with laughter, attempting to hide the giggle behind Gabriel's head.

"I think that's about as good as it gets," Tony said, chuckling, as he led the way into the kitchen, where the smell of dinner cooking was making his mouth water.

"Where's my hug?" Christian asked, as soon as Tony and Sofia had joined them.

"Unca Wizzkin!" Sofia lurched forward out of Tony's arms, trusting that Christian would catch her, to the tune of both Anya and Merry's quiet giggles at this new version of his name.

"Oh, melamin, that one is perfect."

Thankfully, Christian was quick on his feet and had no trouble catching her in his arms before Tony dropped her. Of course, he had no idea Sofia had mispronounced his name several times already before mangling it further. "There's my girl!" he said, kissing one of her chubby cheeks and then the other, like a proper Frenchman.

Merethyl Benoit

Date: 2017-11-06 06:56 EST
"M'a, m'a!" Because, of course, the little girl had to do all the noises for the cheek kisses, too.

"Wizzkin," Anya was still giggling. "You will never live that one down, Christian. Irina will be told."

"Jedi Master Wizzkin Benoit," Tony teased further, amidst the giggling.

"Don't you listen to them, ma petite," Christian told Sofia, smiling warmly. "You may call me whatever you like."

"Just don't call him late for dinner," Tony murmured in further jest.

"I think it is adorable, malyutka," Anya promised her daughter, kissing the round cheek fondly before turning to pour the wine. "I have made up some formula bottles, so you are drinking wine with us tonight, Merry."

"Some ....what?" Merry frowned, looking confused.

Christian rolled his eyes as Anya reassured her daughter. She was adorable, but not so adorable that Anya wasn't going to tell Irina so the ballet mistress could tease Christian about it. Somehow, he realized he'd lost this battle without a fight.

"Bottles," Tony interjected helpfully, moving to the refrigerator to take one out and show it to the new mother.

Merry inspected the bottle curiously. "You milked yourself for our son?" she asked Anya in shock, earning herself a loud laugh in response.

"No, it's not my milk!" Anya giggled, shaking her head. "It comes in powder and you add water to mix it up."

Merry cast a curious glance toward Tony, expecting more of an explanation.

"It's instant," Tony explained, though that didn't sound much more appealing than Anya's explanation. "Dehydrated milk mixed with water. Not tap water. Sterilized water," he explained further, looking to Christian for help.

"It's cow's milk, Merry. Or soy," Christian tried to explain.

Taking the bottle, Merry uncapped it to sniff the contents. "Do you warm it?" she asked, resisting the urge to take the glass of wine Anya was encouraging her to have. "It is very cold."

"We can, if you want," Tony said, holding out a hand in anticipation of her handing the bottle back to be warmed.

"You don't have to use a bottle all the time, Merry," Christian reassured her quietly, as he leaned close. "But I would be able to help more then."

"I- ..." The elven woman was fascinated, and attempting to keep her mild sense of disgust at feeding a child something not entirely natural under wraps. She handed the bottle back to Tony. "I understand. It is just ....strange, to me."

"I will take you out and buy you a pump," Anya offered, wrapping her friend's fingers about the glass. She then twisted to steal Gabriel from Merry's arms with an impish giggle.

"It's okay, Merry," Tony assured her gently. "We used instant formula once in a while, and Sofia turned out fine!" More than fine even. The little girl was obviously healthy, as well as happy. He moved away to warm up the bottle, while Anya snatched Gabriel from Merry's arms.

Christian chuckled at their friends' insistence on taking charge. "It seems we are over-ruled, amie," he pointed out.

"It would seem so," she agreed, a shy smile touching her face as she sipped her wine. It had been a long time since she'd had any alcohol - if she wasn't careful, she was likely to end up a little tipsy. In Christian's arms, Sofia was hugging her "Unca Wizzkin" about the neck, peppering his cheek with kisses.

Christian chuckled at the obvious show of affection from his own "god-daughter", as she reminded him of her presence. "I love you, too, Sofia!" he told her, smooching her cheek noisily in proof of his statement.

The little girl giggled happily, smooshing her cheek against his as she grinned at Merry. "Oh, I am not jealous in the slightest," Merry informed her god-daughter fondly, reaching out to boop the little nose. "It is my night off, it seems."

Anya laughed, stirring something that smelled delicious on the hob as she swayed with Gabriel in her arms. "Are you going to help Uncle Wizz feeding the baby when the bottle is ready, malyutka?"

Christian chuckled again and rolled his eyes at the name Sofia had dubbed him with and her parents had been far too happy to adopt. "Wait until you have another child, Anya. Payback is coming," he warned, cheerfully.

"And what do you think they will be able to make out of Auntie Anya?" she asked impishly, knowing she had an easy name for little mouths to get around. Christian was the only one who didn't, of the four of them.

"That all depends what he teaches them to call you," Merry pointed out, watching with interest as Tony heated the bottle.

"I'm not sure yet, but I have at least ..." Christian's gaze darted briefly to Anya's stomach. "....nine months or more to decide." He hardly noticed the fact that Merry had used the plural pronoun to describe their family, rather than the singular, as if she assumed they would have another child sometime in the future.

Tony returned with the warmed bottle and handed it to Anya, arching a brow at the conversation. "Do you know something I do not?" he asked the group.

"Something we do not?" Anya corrected, stepping away to let Tony take charge of the cooking as she expertly removed the bottle cap and jiggled Gabriel around to offer the teat to him.

Merry laughed softly. "Do you not want another baby?" she asked innocently. "I thought you were going to make one this afternoon."

Tony stepped in to take charge of the cooking, while Anya took charge of Gabriel. "I am not touching either of those questions!" he chuckled, in reply. It wasn't a competition, after all, and it wasn't as simple as it might seem. Having another child meant Anya would not be able to dance, and so, if and when they had another child was mostly up to her. For now, Tony was content with a daughter.

"I would prefer to wait until Sofia is big enough to entertain herself a little before adding another child to our strangely busy household," Anya admitted with a smile. "Besides, we have the ballet to focus on."

Merry flickered a faint grin toward Christian; hadn't they just been talking about that"

"Speaking of the ballet ..." Christian started, claiming a chair and settling Sofia on his lap. The little girl was small, but even small children got heavy after a while.

"Sofia, why don't you grab your coloring books and crayons?" Tony suggested, before she got too bored with the adult conversation.

The little girl nodded, her pajamas forgotten as she scrabbled down from Christian's lap to raid her toy box. Merry chuckled as she sat down at the kitchen table as well, impressed by the way Anya could feed a newborn and still get out plates and cutlery. That was apparently a skill they would have to learn.

Pajamas would come in due time - Tony and Anya would make sure of that - leaving a little time for the adults to enjoy each other's company in peace. "You were saying, Tian?" Tony prompted Christian to continue, while Sofia scrambled to locate her coloring supplies.

Merethyl Benoit

Date: 2017-11-06 06:57 EST
"Oui," Christian started. "Well ....Merry and I were just talking about the ballet," he said, looking to Merry either for moral support or to add her two cents. He knew Tony and Anya enough that he didn't feel too strange making suggestions for the ballet, but it was ultimately their decision.

"We were wondering what your plans are for it?" Merry asked gently, taking the opening given to her. "The ballet itself has stabilized, though it seems difficult to hold onto ballerinas from one year to the next."

Anya sighed in agreement. "True, though we have had both you and Josette for a few years now."

"We were thinking perhaps a school here in Rhy'Din, where we can tutor dancers in preparation for the ballet," Christian added, though that was not all they had been discussing. There was De Luca Dance Studio, but that wasn't strictly a ballet school.

"Such a school would have to be built from the bottom up," Anya pointed out. "To begin with the beginners at the age of ten, and add more as they rise in years. We would need academic teachers, too. It is a large endeavor."

"Oui," Christian agreed. "We were also thinking about a touring company, which would spread word of the company and perhaps bring us some new dancers or students," he explained further, hoping this was making some kind of sense.

"A touring company?" Anya's brows rose in surprise - evidently this had not occurred to her. She cast a curious glance at Tony, who was suspiciously silent in this conversation.

Tony had gone silent, but only because he was quietly contemplating everything that was being said. He had originally come to Rhy'Din with hopes of forming a ballet company, but finding, tutoring, and hiring new dancers had turned out to be more of a challenge than he'd anticipated. "If we form a touring company, we will need dancers to fill those places," he pointed out.

"You have dancers in the corps who are straining for principal roles," Merry pointed out mildly. "They would learn much from leading a touring company."

Tony frowned and grumbled a little, as Merry reminded him of that fact. There were at least two corps dancers who had been begging for principal roles for a year or more, but there just weren't that many ballet roles to go around. "You're right, of course," he admitted, having struggled with this problem himself for a while now.

"That is a good idea," Anya mused, setting the bottle to one side and flinging a tea cloth over her shoulder to burp Gabriel. Merry couldn't help being envious of how easily it came to her. "We could send newer dancers with the touring group, to season them," the Russian ballerina added. "But this does not solve our distinct lack of ballerinas who wish to stay more than a single season."

"That is where the school comes in," Christian explained. "We could even recruit students from Earth, who'd like to come here to train and work their way up, either to the theater or the touring group." He paused, as he looked between them, frowning a little thoughtfully before he continued. "We need to find a way to encourage more people to take up dancing as a profession here on Rhy'Din and to stick with the company more than a season," he said.

"Perhaps we should expand to include contemporary ballets?" Tony suggested mildly.

"So what you are proposing is, in fact, a performing arts school," Anya pointed out thoughtfully. "That is very possible. While a ballet school will take a few years to produce performers for our company, a performing arts school would be equipping older students with skills they can take out into the world almost immediately."

"Maybe we should talk to 'Tay about expanding the Dance Studio into a performing arts school," Tony suggested further, though that would likely not happen overnight. "We received a lot of support from the community in the way of sponsorships. Maybe we could use some of that money to start a touring group and a school."

"And headhunt a young ballerina or two," Merry suggested, setting her glass down as Anya set Gabriel back into her arms, fed and relaxed. "Someone who will value loyalty over advancement, for at least a while."

"It will take time to find them," Christian pointed out, though if they expanded their search to include Earth, he didn't think it would be too difficult.

"We each have our own contacts," Anya pointed out. "There are several dancers overlooked from the Mariinsky every year who might jump at the opportunity to dance with us."

"Vraiment," Christian said. "There may be some at the New York City and Canada ballets, as well," he said, citing both the companies he and Tony came from before they migrated to Rhy'Din.

"Even Irina and Sylvie might be able to call in a few favors from friends on Earth to recommend a young dancer or two," Merry suggested, glancing up as Sofia finally pattered back into the kitchen, little arms filled with crayons and coloring book.

"I will talk to them and to Mataya, too," Tony promised as Sofia rejoined them, putting an end to the work talk. "It is food for thought, but it won't fill our stomachs!" he added, scooping little Sofia up into his arms. "Whose lap do you choose to claim now, mia cara?" he asked her, soberly.

"Made a pitter," Sofia informed her father, elbowing him in the nose as she opened up her coloring book to show off what she'd been filling her time with.

Anya laughed, shaking her head. "You have this to look forward to," she informed their guests with a grin.

Tony groaned as he got elbowed, but his hands were too full of Sofia to rub the pain from his nose, wrinkling it instead. "Let's see your picture, then!" he said, settling her down on her mother's lap and waiting for her to find the right page in her coloring book.

Anya absently reached up to gentle stroke Tony's abused nose as Sofia ended up on her lap, the coloring book open on the table in front of her. The toddler had ignored the lines for coloring inside, and drawn her own picture. "Mama an' Dada, an' Artnee Merry an' Unca Wizzkin, an' baby."

"Ah, I see," Tony said, though he wasn't sure if he did. Toddler art was a little too abstract for him to make much sense of, though Sofia certainly seemed to know what she was looking at. "Where are you in the picture?" he asked.

The little girl gave him a long-suffering look. "Drawin' da pitter, dada." Behind her, Anya snorted with laughter, biting her lips to try and keep her grin under control. Merry had no such compunction, laughing cheerfully at the way Sofia could turn on that Old Soul attitude like nobody's business.

"Oh! Of course! How silly of me!" Tony replied, as apologetically as he could without bursting into laughter at his young daughter's solemn explanation. "Very nice, Sofia!" he praised, though he still couldn't quite make heads nor tails out of the drawing. He leaned close to kiss the top of her head. "I'll just see how dinner is going," he said before turning to check on the cooking.

"Would you like to help lay the table, malyutka"" Anya asked her daughter, smiling at the enthusiastic nod she got in answer. She tapped the table next to the pile of cutlery. "Everyone gets one knife, and one fork, and one spoon." Wriggling down, Sofia selected one knife, and walked around to the first plate, putting it down, and returned for another knife. "This could take a while."

Meanwhile, Christian was watching his friends and their daughter with fondness, close enough to Merry to touch a kiss to her cheek, a soft smile on his face, just because. "We are in no hurry, Anya," he assured their hostess.

No hurry at all. After all, there was nothing better for new parents than to spend an easy evening in the company of friends who were more like family. They might not share a name, but Christian and Merry were De Lucas as far as the theatrical family were concerned. And some things just didn't need to be hurried.